Gandhi as Mahatma 289 of time to lead or influence a political movement of the peasantry. Gandhi, the person, was in this particular locality for less than a day, but the 'Mahatma' as an 'idea' was thought out and reworked in Gandhi as Mahatma: popular imagination in subsequent months. Even in the eyes of some local Congressmen this 'deification'—'unofficial canonization' as the Gorakhpur District, Eastern UP, Pioneer put it—assumed dangerously distended proportions by April-May 1921. 1921-2' In following the career of the Mahatma in one limited area Over a short period, this essay seeks to place the relationship between Gandhi and the peasants in a perspective somewhat different from SHAHID AMIN the view usually taken of this grand subject. We are not concerned with analysing the attributes of his charisma but with how this 'Many miracles, were previous to this affair [the riot at Chauri registered in peasant consciousness. We are also constrained by our Chaura], sedulously circulated by the designing crowd, and firmly believed by the ignorant crowd, of the Non-co-operation world of primary documentation from looking at the image of Gandhi in this district'. Gorakhpur historically—at the ideas and beliefs about the Mahatma —M. B. Dixit, Committing Magistrate, that percolated into the region before his visit and the transformations, Chauri Chaura Trials. if any, that image underwent as a result of his visit. Most of the rumours about the Mahatma.'spratap (power/glory) were reported in the local press between February and May 1921. And as our sample I of fifty fairly elaborate 'stories' spans this rather brief period, we cannot fully indicate what happens to the 'deified' image after the Gandhi visited the district of Gorakhpur in eastern UP on 8 February rioting at Chauri Chaura in early 1922 and the subsequent withdrawal 1921, addressed a monster meeting variously estimated at between 1 of the Non-Co-operation movement. The aim of the present exercise lakh and 2.5 lakhs and returned the same evening to Banaras. He was is then the limited one of taking a close look at peasant perceptions of accorded a tumultuous welcome in the district, but unlike in Gandhi by focusing on the trail of stories that marked his passage Champaran and Kheda he did not stay in Gorakhpur for any length through the district. The location of the Mahatma image within 1 Research for this paper was funded by grants from the British Academy and existing patterns of popular beliefs and the way it informed direct Trinity College, Oxford. I am extremely grateful to Dr Ramachandra Tiwari for action, often at variance with the standard interpretations of the letting me consult the back numbers of Swadesh in his possession. Without his Congress creed, are the two main issues discussed in this essay. hospitality and kindness the data used in this paper could not have been gathered. Earlier versions of this essay were discussed at St Stephen's College, Delhi, the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, and the Conference on the Subaltern in South In a number of contemporary nationalist writings peasant perceptions Asian History and Society, held at the Australian National University, Canberra, in of and beliefs about Gandhi figure as incidents of homage and November 1982.1 am grateful to David Arnold, Gautam Bhadra, Dipesh Chakrabarty, offering. Touching instances of devotion and childlike manifestations Partha Chatterjee, Bernard Cohn, Veena Das, Anjan Ghosh, Ranajit Guha, David of affection are highlighted in the narratives of his tour in northern Hardiman, Christopher Hill, S. N. Mukherjce, Gyan Pandey, Sumit Sarkar, Abhijit 2 Sen, Savyasaachi and Harish Trivedi for their criticisms and suggestions. My debt to India during the winter of 1920-2. And if this spectacle of popular Roland Barthes, 'Introduction to the Structural Analysis of Narratives', in Stephen regard gets out of hand, it is read as a sign of the mule-like obstinacy Heath (ed.), Image-Music-Test (Glasgow, 1979), Peter Burke, Popular Culture in (hathagraha) of simple, guileless kisans. The sight and sound of Early Modern Europe (London, 1979), Ch. 5 and Ranajit Guha, Elementary Aspects of 2 Peasant Insurgency in Colonial India (Delhi, 1983), Ch. 6 is too transparent to require See Mahadev Desai, Day-to-day with Gandhi (Secretary's Diary), iii (Varanasi, detailed acknowledgement. 1965), pp. 143ff. and 262-6. For a condensed version of the same ideas, see D. G. Tendulkar, Mahatma: Life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, ii (Bombay, 1952), p. 78. 290 Selected Subaltern Studies Gandhi as Mahatma 291 uncouth peasants invading the train carrying Gandhi, rending the so also Mahatma Gandhi has appeared as an avatar, I hear. Until I have sky with cries of *jai' and demanding darshan at an unearthly hour, seen him death will not appear'. This simple faith moved India's millions could be annoying and unnerving. But all was not yet lost because who greeted him everywhere with the cry, 'Mahatma Gandhi-ki-jai'. Prostitutes of Barisal, the Marwari merchants of Calcutta, Oriya coolies, local Congress leaders could be counted on to restrain the militant railway strikers, Santals eager to present khadi chaddars, all claimed his 3 exuberance of lathi-wielding, torch-bearing enthusiasts. A passage attention. tided 'Boundless Love' from the tour diary of his secretary is repre­ From Aliearh to Dibrugarh and then as far as Tinnevelly he went from sentative of how peasant attitudes towards Gandhi have been written village to village, from town to town, sometimes speaking in temples and 5 about in nationalist narratives: mosques. Wherever he went he had to endure the tyranny of love. It is impossible to put in language the exuberance of love which Gandhiji Examples of such darshan-seeking scenes could be multiplied, and and Shaukat Ali experienced in Bihar. Our train on the B.N.W. Railway we shall come back to them in our account of Gandhi's passage line stopped at all stations and there was not a single station which was not through Gorakhpur. It is worth stressing here that the Gandhi- crowded with hundreds of people at that time. Even women, who never darshari motif in nationalist discourse reveals a specific attitude stir out of their homes, did not fail to present themselves so that they towards the subalterns—the sadharan janta or ordinary people as could see and hear him. A huge concourse of students would everywhere smother Gandhiji with their enthusiasm. If at some place a sister would they are referred to in the nationalist Hindi press. To behold the take off her coral necklace and tell him, T give this specially for you to Mahatma in person and become his devotees were the only roles wear', at some other, sanyasis would come and leave their rosaries on his assigned to them, while it was for the urban intelligentsia and full- lap. If beautiful sheets or handspun and hand-woven cloth, many yards time party activists to convert this groundswell of popular feeling long, would be presented at one place, at some other place would turn up into an organized movement. Thus it would appear that even in the a loving villager from the woods, boastful of his trophy, saying, 'Maharaj relationship between peasant devotees and their Mahatma there was (an address of reverence) this is my feat of strength. The tiger was a terror to our people; I am giving the skin to you'. At some places, guns normally room for political mediation by the economically better off and used as fog-signals were fired in his honour. At some others, we came socially more powerful followers.6 across railway officers who would not give the green flag, when our train The idea of the artifacts of the 'mythopoeic imagination of childlike came within their jurisdiction, in order to have and let others have peasants' being mediated by political intermediaries occurs in anti- Gandhiji's darshan. Not minding the fact that our 'Special* was certain to pass by them in terrific speed, people were seen at some places, standing nationalist discourse as well. Referring to stories about the power of along the railway lines in distant hope of having just a glimpse of Gandhiji Gandhi current in Gorakhpur and other districts of eastern UP in the or at least of making their loud shouts of 'Gandhi-Shaukat Ali-ki-jai' spring of 1921, the.Pioneer wrote in an editorial: reach his ear. We have met with even policemen who had the courage to Mr Gandhi is beginning to reap the penalty of having allowed himself to approach Gandhiji to salute him or touch his hand, and CID's [sic] also be unofficially canonized (as we should say in the West) by his adoring who would plaintively say, 'We have taken to this dirty work for the sake 4 countrymen. We say 'reap the penalty', because it is inconceivable that a of the sinning flesh, but please do accept these five rupees'. man of his transparent candour and scrupulous regard for truth should hear without chagrin the myths which are being associated with him as a Seeking darshan was obviously a fairly visible sign of popular worker of miracles. The very simple people in the east and south of the reverence, and no wonder it occupies a prominent place in descrip­ United Provinces afford a fertile soil in which a belief in the powers of the tions of Gandhi's tours. D. G. Tendulkar writes of the Mahatma's 'Mahatmaji', who is after all little more than a name of power to them, 'tour of mass conversions to the new creed' in 1921 as follows: may grow.